The Bodyguard
by KRiSTiNEDAHLiNG
Summary: He was supposed to protect her...not fall in love with her. AU. CooperMaxie and BrendaJason.
1. A Return, A Sigh, and A Job Offer

The Bodyguard

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own General Hospital. If I did Jason would be with either Brenda or Sam. Logan Hayes would not exist. Lorenzo Alcazar would have never died. Oh and Jerry Jacks would get way more air time.

Author's Note/Background Information: So this is an idea I've been playing around with for quite time (like not long after I found out that Cooper's last name was Barrett). I should let you know right away that its AU/AR. Cooper is a twenty eight year old war veteran who has been honorably discharged from the Army due to an injury he suffered during combat and is coming home to join the family business. He was primarily raised by his older sister Brenda (ten years older) and her husband Jason Morgan. The rest of the story you'll basically find out as you read. Thank you for taking a chance on me and this story. I really hope you like it.

The Bodyguard Chapter One

At first glance you would have never guessed he was one of the most feared men on the East Coast, if not the entire United States. People said he could shoot a man dead with his eyes closed. Cooper highly doubted that theory, but at the same time knew there was a reason Scott Baldwin always used to call him Angerboy. If only those people could see Jason now as he laughed and pushed his daughter on the swing. If you didn't know better you would have sworn he was an average parent spending the afternoon with his daughter. Cooper gingerly made his way through the park over to where the pair was joking. He hadn't seen his niece in at least six years but even from a distance he could tell she was still all Brenda. Once he reached them he sat down in the swing beside the pair. As soon as she saw him she squealed and jumped off the swing. "Uncle Coop!" She could have easily been a football player the way she tackled him. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "You've gotten so tall and beautiful. I bet your Dad already has to threaten boys."

"If you only knew," Jason joked. He'd known for weeks that Cooper was coming to visit but not until now did it seem real. Jason had known Cooper his entire life. In fact while Cooper was in high school he lived with Jason and Brenda. Upon graduation Cooper decided to enlist in the military. Ten years later, after being discharged due to an injury he received in battle, he was finally coming home. "It's been a long time Coop." Jason replied as he hugged the younger man, who he viewed almost as a son. "Bren is going to flip when she sees you. You're all she's talked about all week. Right Ava?"

"Right, it was Cooper this and Cooper that and I wonder what he's going to want to eat and if he's going to be comfortable in his old bedroom and should we buy him new sheets for his bed. It was torture, pure torture." Ava recalled. She loved her mother, but she had a tendency to worry for nothing. Even at twelve Ava was well aware of this fact. "If I didn't love you so much I would definitely be over you at this point."

Cooper laughed. He was realizing quickly that she may have looked like Brenda but she sounded just like Jason. "Well thank you for that." He joked as he ruffled her hair.

"How about you go work on your cartwheels for a little while so I can talk business with your Uncle?" Jason had decided long ago that he while he wasn't going to immerse Ava in his business he was not going to lie about it either. She knew that his work life was private and that he did everything he could to keep it separate from his home life. For the most part he'd been successful.

Ava sighed, her way of letting them know that she was not "down" with this plan. "Fine, but don't forget you promised me a sundae from Kelly's."

Coop watched as she skipped away. The last time he had seen her she was trying to learn to ride a bike. "Man she's grown so much." 

"Yeah they have a tendency to do that." Jason replied with an impish grin. "Brenda and I felt the same way when you graduated high school. I mean I can still remember helping you tie your tie first dance. Isn't that when you were in love with Courtney Matthews?"

Cooper grimaced. "Don't remind me of that." Cooper had been in love with Courtney for all of high school, but she hadn't realized he even existed. Instead she'd been with Brian Beck, Mr. All American, who currently was a detective for the Port Charles Police Department. "How is Detective Beck?"

"For some reason he still isn't all that fond of me and I just can't figure out why." Jason replied with a shrug. "Still how are you? How does it feel to be back?"

"I'm good. I feel a little out of the loop, but I'm happy that I'm back. It feels like it's been forever."

Jason nodded in agreement. "Well it kind of has been. When you left I don't think it occurred to Brenda and I that it would be for this long. But we're all still basically the same. Well except for Ava, who gets moodier by the minute."

"I can see that. That was the quite sigh earlier."

"That was nothing. You should hear them when she's actually irritated. Anyway Brenda said you might be interested in coming to work with me." When Brenda had come to Jason with this news he'd thought at first that she was kidding. While Brenda tolerated his lifestyle she wasn't exactly enthralled to be the devoted wife of a mob boss. "Cause if you're interested I have a job for you. It's nothing overly dangerous but it's pretty important."

Coop motioned for him to continue. Somehow he'd always known this day would come. No matter how long he worked for the other side he knew in the end that he'd always known that his loyalties lay with the organization.

"Do you remember Maxie Jones? I think she graduated a couple of years after you. Well anyway Maxie is Brenda's assistant and co-conspirator in life. I usually refer to her as Brenda's right arm. Recently someone ransacked Maxie's apartment and wrote a threatening message on her wall. The thing about Maxie is she's more than just Brenda's best friend. She's the widow of the man who gave his life saving Ava. Maxie's husband, Jesse was Ava's guard and one day someone tried to kidnap her. Jesse was able to save her, but he was shot and critically injured. That was three years ago. We've been taking care of Maxie and her son Mason ever since. So I guess what I'm saying is it's a special job and Brenda and I think you're the perfect man for it. What do you say?"

Cooper sat there for a moment digesting all of the information that had just been presented to him. "So basically all I'd be doing is guarding her?"

"Well not exactly. You'd actually live with her. Separate rooms, same penthouse. Actually to be specific it'd be the penthouse across the hall. And it would just be until we were sure she was safe."

"Is she okay with this?"

Jason let out a strained chuckle. "She doesn't exactly know yet, but she'll go along with it. Brenda thinks you two will get along really well. I think she's twenty four and Mason's five. He's a cute kid. Did I mention Maxie was pretty and this was all Brenda's idea so if you say no she's going to pester you about it for the rest of your life?"

Cooper laughed at Jason's clear desperation. "As long as she's okay with the setup then yeah I'll take the job."

"Good, believe me Coop I wouldn't let you do this if I didn't think you could or if it was a bad idea. Maxie's a great girl, she's feisty and so much like Brenda it's scary." Jason stood up and called for Ava to rejoin them.

Coop nodded, but all the time he couldn't help but question what he just signed up for. The only member of the opposite sex he'd ever lived with had been his ex-girlfriend Liv, a nurse who couldn't handle his quiet ways. That had only lasted six months at the most. Now he was supposed to live with a woman he hardly knew and her five year old son. He knew one thing for sure, this was going to definitely be interesting.

This is my first ever 3M fic. I hope you like it. Thanks so much for reading. If you wouldn't mind reviewing to let me know what you think that'd be great.


	2. And Then They Meet

The Bodyguard

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own General Hospital. If I did Jason would be with either Brenda or Sam. Logan Hayes would not exist. Lorenzo Alcazar would have never died. Oh and Jerry Jacks would get way more air time.

Author's Note: I'm happy that other people thought this was an interesting idea. So the first chapter was mainly Cooper so I figured this chapter should mainly be Maxie. There may be some interaction near the end, but the real stuff is going to be featured next chapter. Thanks for coming back for more.

The Bodyguard Chapter Two

Maxie should have known something up. Brenda was usually stressed and bitchy this close to a deadline. Instead today for some reason she was for the most part calm and quiet. Maxie wanted to know but figured it was stupid to mess with a good thing. She sighed, happy to have a moment to breath. She loved her job. She'd been doing it since she was seventeen. She'd managed to convince Brenda with a collage and a top ten list of reasons she should hire her even though she was still in high school at the time. If she closed her eyes she could vividly remember juggling French homework and conference calls with Ralph Lauren. She often felt like Expensive Taste was just as much her baby as it was Brenda's. Still there were moments when she thought the stress was going to get the best of her. Something always went wrong. No matter how detailed or planned out the magazine was, somehow something went astray. Troubleshooting these problems was her main job. Currently she was working on finding an All American, classic, and rugged male model to accompany a spread they were doing for the Fourth of July. Their original model "retired" three weeks before the shoot to become the next Paul Wall. Just when she thought she was going to get a moment to herself the fax machine noisily spit out a contract for Brenda. She sighed and leisurely took the fax to Brenda's office. She was shocked to find Brenda sitting behind the desk humming what sounded like "My Heart Will Go On". "Okay I can't do this anymore. Who are you and what did you do with Brenda?"

"What are you talking about?" Brenda feigned innocence even though she was acting out of character. She had yet to scream shit today which was a word she yelled nearly everyday.

Maxie scoffed and rolled her eyes in disbelief. "It's a week and a half before deadline and we still don't have a male model for the Fourth of July spread, but instead of being "normal" Brenda and stressing both of us out, you're in here humming what sounded like Celine Dion and grinning like a fool."

"I'm just trying something new." Brenda replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

Maxie just looked at her. Brenda was set in her ways. She thrived on stress. One of her the best issues had been put together in two weeks and half her usual staff.

"Fine it may have something to do with the fact that Cooper's home, finally." Brenda admitted slowly as she read over the contract Maxie had brought in. She made a point not to look up; because if she did Maxie would see the twinkle in her eye and know she had something up her sleeve. She still hadn't quite figured out how she was going to present Maxie with her new idea. Damn Maxie's will to stand on her own two feet. It was going to take smooth talking and finagling to get Maxie on board.

"Ugh, why didn't you just say that Brenda, must you make everything so difficult?" Sometimes her best friend was too dramatic. "What're you even doing in the office? Shouldn't you be smothering him?" She knew all too well how much Brenda loved her baby brother.

"He's with Ava and Jason right now and then is headed over here for a while. And yes I do have to be dramatic its part of my charm, as well as yours as if I have to remind." She left out the part about wanting to smother him, but having plenty of time to do that later on. If she had it her way she definitely would be with Jason, Ava, and Cooper right now but that wouldn't exactly help her plan to get the two interested in each other. She'd come up with the plan the moment Cooper expressed interest in coming back home. Her only problem was how she would do it without interfering too much. It wasn't until recently when someone ransacked Maxie's apartment that she realized the solution. Cooper would guard Maxie and Mason and win her stubborn best friend over on his own. If he had been any other guy she would have doubted his ability. Maxie hadn't really dated anyone since Jesse. Despite Mac's urging for her to give Logan Hayes, a son of a bitch cop who had made it his main goal in life to take down Jason and the organization, a chance. Anyone who knew Jesse knew that Logan could never replace Jesse in Maxie's heart. It wasn't that Brenda wanted to replace Jesse with Cooper as much as she wanted Maxie to be happy. She was only twenty four. She was far too young to be spending the rest of her life alone. And Brenda knew wholeheartedly that Jesse would want Maxie to rediscover happiness even if it she found it in the arms of another man. She wasn't sure how but she just knew that Cooper could be that man for Maxie. Her baby brother, in so many ways was just like Jesse. He was quiet, stoic, would do anything for the people he loved, and most importantly he was patient. God knows any man who ever fell in love with Maxie or Brenda had to have the patience of a Saint. So she decided she'd give them all the pieces and would just let them put the puzzle together themselves.

"Well I better go back to my desk before you start boring me to death with Cooper stories. Lord knows I've heard enough to write his biography." Maxie joked as she stood to leave. "On a side note I like this Brenda. She's a lot less snippy."

"Wait Maxie before you go there's something I need to tell you." Brenda realized she was just going to have to put the plan out there and have faith that Maxie would eventually give in to her charm and good sense. "Jason and I have been talking and in lieu of recent events we think you and Mason should move into the penthouse across the hall. It's been empty for forever and there'd be plenty of room, plus the views amazing."

"I don't know Bren I mean are you sure because Mason and I are fine where we are and both of you already do enough for us?"

"Nonsense, of course I'm sure." Brenda could feel Maxie's hesitation. "Come on Maxie you and I both know it's perfect and it's the solution we've been looking for."

"Yeah but -"

"But nothing it's settled. You and Mason will move in across the hall. There is one other thing I guess I should tell you."

"What?" Maxie knew the moment she walked in that there was a reason Brenda was acting strange and know she was going to find out what exactly the cause was.

"We want Cooper to move in with the two of you as a live in guard."

"What? Tell me you're kidding." Maxie asked in disbelief. "I don't even know Cooper and up until recently Mason and I have been fine. We don't need a live in guard Bren."

Bren sighed and leaned forward. "Please Maxie. This way it's one less thing I'll have to stress about. Plus he'd have his own room and you know this way you'd have someone to help you out when it comes to Mason. And before you jump down my throat it's not that I think you aren't handing things just fine I just think this situation would help everyone out. I mean we don't really have room at our penthouse for Coop, but I don't want him just living over Kelly's or something. And it's nice to have a man around the house."

Maxie sat there knowing she should say no and continue to protest, but everything Brenda was saying did make sense. She loved her son to death, but sometimes being a single mother made her doubt herself. Boys were handfuls. Lately he'd been asking questions that led her to believe he thought he needed male guidance. And Cooper was Brenda's brother, how terrible of a guy could he be. It wasn't like he'd try and take advantage of her. She sighed and saw that Brenda was fighting the urge to smile. She hated Brenda's ability to sense triumph. "Fine, we can try this, but if it doesn't work I reserve the right to pull the plug on the whole operation without a protest from you. Deal?"

"Deal. And believe me Maxie you'll be thanking me in no time."

"Or wanting to kill you."

X-X-X-X

He parked his motorcycle in front of the brick building which according to a large wooden sign was home to "Expensive Taste". He couldn't help but smile at the name. It was so Brenda. He shoved his helmet under his arm and made his way inside. He could feel all of the women in the room eyeing him the moment he walked in. He figured this is what it felt like to be a Hooter's waitress. He casually glanced around the room trying to see if he could pick out which one she was. It was harder than he thought. The only thing that distinguished most of the women in the room was their age and even then the difference wasn't that big. He sighed and made his way towards the door in the back, assuming it was probably the door to Brenda's office. It was then that he saw her exiting Brenda's office. Laughing and shaking her head. Jason hadn't lied. She definitely was beautiful. Her blonde hair was being kept out her eyes by a metallic headband and she was wearing a black dress that showed off just how nice her body was. He silently chastised himself for eyeing her this way. He hadn't realized just how much he missed appreciating the female form while in Iraq. He made his way to her desk as casually as he could. "Hey."

Maxie looked up from her computer screen to find a tall, dark, and handsome guy who looked like he'd just walked out of a magazine advertisement smiling down at her. She mentally frowned assuming he was just another male model. If that was one thing her job had taught her it was how to spot a male model from a mile away. "Hi, are you here for the Fourth of July spread?"

"The Fourth of July spread?"

She did her best not to roll her eyes. She hated when agents sent their models without giving them any information like what they were trying out for. "If you just want to give me your portfolio I can look over it and we'll get back to you in the next couple of days."

"I think you have me mistaken with someone else."

"Aren't you one of the male models the agency sent over for our Fourth of July spread?"

"Uh no I'm not actually I'm -" He started but Brenda burst out of his office and tackled him before could finish. He smiled sheepishly at the blonde whose look could only be described as shocked.

"Oh Cooper, you've gotten so much taller. Okay maybe not taller as much as older. Oh I've missed you so much." Brenda gushed as she hugged her baby brother, who just happened to tower over her. She turned on her heel and faced her young assistant. That crazy grin plastered on her face again. "Maxie, I'd like you to meet Cooper. Cooper this is my right arm Maxie."

Maxie wasn't sure how her hand ended up in his, but it did. Deep down inside she'd known he was probably handsome, I mean how could he not be? Still she'd never have him imagined him to look anything like this.

"It's nice to meet you Maxie."

Just when Maxie thought he couldn't get any cuter he flashed her a smile that she was sure was made to make women weak in the knees and thank God for her desk but it most certainly worked. And it was then that Maxie realized just how long it had been since she'd really eyed a guy before who wasn't a model. Not only did she like what she saw, but she realized this was why Brenda had been so confident she'd end up thanking her.

So that was the update. It actually contained a little more of the two of them together than I thought it would which I thought was pretty awesome. I hope you liked it. It definitely made me smile. Feedback is great. I'd love to know what ya'll are thinking. Thanks again. I'll try and update again this weekend.


	3. Operation Lindsay Lohan

The Bodyguard

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own General Hospital. If I did Jason would be with either Brenda or Sam. Logan Hayes would not exist. Lorenzo Alcazar would have never died. Oh and Jerry Jacks would get way more air time.

Author's Note: It was really hard for me to start this chapter. I wasn't sure where to begin. Once I got it started though it didn't take that long to finish. I hope you like it. I'm sorry I made you wait so long for the update. At the end let me know what you think. Thanks so much for reading.

The Bodyguard Chapter Three

Maxie had often found herself musing that living with Cooper Barrett was a lot like living with a really hot mime. Rarely did he say more than the usual polite banter you'd share with any stranger like good morning, hey, or thanks. Whenever she found herself glancing at him out of the corner of her eye he'd often be off in his own world. The only time he really became animated was when he was with Ava and Mason. There was something about those two that just made him "come alive". Sometimes Maxie thought about starting conversations in an effort to find out more about him, but he just made her so damn jumpy. There was something about him that made her uncharacteristically nervous. Occasionally when the two did talk it was often about trivial things like the weather and even then she did most of the talking. To fill the silence they often listened to music or watched television. While they disagreed on music, he strangely enough was a fan of rap and hip hop just like Jesse had been she was more into rock music and all of its various genres. They did happen to agree on television and movies. For the first time since the show aired she had someone to watch "The Office" with who actually got it. No matter how much she loved Mason or how gifted she was, he just didn't understand Dwight's humor. All in all living with Cooper had proved to be easier than she could have ever possibly imagined. _Even if she knew more about his laundry than she did about him._

Cooper ended every night with a silent prayer that tomorrow would go as smoothly as today. He spent most of his time quietly pondering how his life could have changed so much in such a short period of time or playing with Mason and Ava which proved to be quite entertaining. But then there were the moments when Mason was across the hall and it was just him and Maxie in the penthouse. She'd be cooking in the kitchen and he would be sitting in the living room fighting the urge to say something to her that could eventually make him hate her. Normally when it came to girls Cooper was calm, cool, and collected, but except for their first meeting Maxie made him tongue tied. He had a feeling she thought he was mentally handicapped due to his constant silence. Sure he had things to say, smart things, but he knew that once he started to say them they would come out sounding like complete and utter gibberish. The only time he ever really felt comfortable with her was when they were watching television or movies. The only time he ever really talked around her was when they were watching movies like "Anchorman". He could quote "Anchorman" until the cows came home. Despite being pretty sure that she thought he was handicapped, he thoroughly enjoyed living with her. _He just wished that he could let her know that without making a total ass out of himself._

Mason, Brenda, Ava, and Jason had found this situation exhausting or in the case of Mason and Ava more like confusing. It was obvious the two were attracted to one another. A person would need to be deaf, dumb, and blind to miss it. While Mason and Jason were willing to wait for the duo to come around Brenda and Ava had sunk to scheming. Two weeks, nine ideas, and one chipped nail Brenda finally came up with the perfect and completely unoriginal plan that she knew would force the two to do more than awkwardly coexist. "The solution is so simple that we should be very upset with ourselves Ava…I mean it took a passed out picture of Lindsay to inspire me." Brenda started and then explained that they would simply Parent Trap the twosome. After expressing their intentions to Mason and Jason and getting their consent Operation Lindsay Lohan was born.

Cooper walked into the Metro Court hotel feeling very uncomfortable in the Ralph Lauren suit Brenda had forced on him. He wasn't even sure why he was there. He understood that she missed him, but he hadn't realized she needed to do a dinner just the two of them. He fidgeted with his tie for what seemed like the millionth time as he waited rather impatiently for Brenda to make her entrance.

Maxie groaned as she glanced at her small silver watch only to realize that she was running late to meet Brenda and Kate Howard. When Brenda had asked her to join them she'd been shocked. Sure she knew her job was mostly to act as a mediator and to keep Brenda from threatening Kate. _Having a husband who also just happened to be quite handy with a gun could lead a woman to do dangerous things. _ Maxie knew first hand what it was like to want to threaten an enemy's life. She walked into the Metro Court and walked straight into a tall, hard, and broad chest. Just as she almost hit the ground two very strong arms caught her and put her back on her feet. She looked up and found herself staring into the eyes of none other than Cooper Barrett. "We've been Parent Trapped."

"What?" Cooper looked at her rather curiously.

Maxie should have known better. "Let me guess you're here to meet Brenda."

"Yeah, how'd you -. Oh. Shit."

"Yep, like I said Parent Trapped. How I missed Brenda's shadiness is beyond me." Maxie joked.

Cooper shrugged. "Sometimes she can be stealth. Just like sometimes she can make government interrogators seem like total amateurs. It's all part of the reality television show known as Brenda Barrett."

"And we're just the supporting cast."

"So since they went to all this trouble to ask you put "Parent Trap" us, the least we can do is eat a good meal maybe share a decent conversation." Cooper suggested as smoothly as possible. If her hand had been on his heart she would have felt it pounding.

"So I've got to thank you for being so good to Mason. It's great to have a guy to you know wear him out sometimes." Maxie told him Cooper once they had ordered in an effort to keep their friendly banter going.

Cooper shrugged sheepishly and waved the compliment off. "It's no big deal. He's a great kid. You've done an amazing job raising him. He's really lucky to have you."

"I'm lucky to have him. After Jesse died, well I was in a pretty bad situation but Mason pulled me out of it. Well him and Ava."

"Ava?"

Maxie paused and bit her lip. She wasn't sure how exactly to word what she was trying to say. She hardly talked about Jesse. It was so hard for her to put into words her feelings for him. He'd meant to much to her. He'd saved her from herself. "Yeah, Jesse was guard so it was his job to take her to school, to supervise her play dates. I always used to say he was her shadow. He could have had any job he wanted. He was basically to Jason's right hand man. Still he chose to work with Ava. Anyway they spent so much time together and sort of became best friends. If you wanted to know why Ava was upset ask Jesse. If you wanted to know what to buy Ava for Christmas ask Jesse. It was strange, but cute. It was unconventional, but then again so is our lifestyle. After Jesse died Ava was there for me. She helped me with Mason. She told me funny stories about Jesse. I guess she made me realize that Jesse was gone, but I'd always have parts of him." Maxie smiled, deciding that she wouldn't let herself be sad at a moment like this. "So it's your turn to tell me something personal about yourself."

Cooper laughed and leisurely rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think of something. "When Brenda was ten all she wanted was a dog, but our other sister Julia was allergic. Brenda had it all figured out. She wanted a chocolate lab and she was going to name him Cooper. Instead she got a baby half brother. My mother, a supermodel who I haven't seen in decades, allowed Brenda to name me Cooper since the dog was a pipe dream. She's taken care of me ever since." 

"Really? What about Jason?" Maxie was curious. She knew very little of Brenda's life before Extravagant Taste. Like how she'd ended up being married to one of the most notorious men in America.

Cooper grinned. "That's a bit more complicated. Brenda and Jason grew up together. He's a couple of years older. I guess when I was born he helped take care of me because that's what you do for your best friend. I was six when he had his accident. I can still remember the way Brenda's voice cracked when she told me that Jason had been hurt. Brenda used to take me to visit him everyday after school. People always say that Jason became a completely different man after the accident but I disagree. Our relationship stayed basically the same. It wasn't until I was in high school that Brenda told me how if it hadn't been for me she doubted her and Jason would have ended up together. I guess I forced us to remain a family without realizing it." Cooper could hardly remember Jason Q, so he guessed that the man he'd always looked up to like a father was Jason Morgan and he was okay with that. There were times when he heard people refer to Jason as a monster, a heartless killer, "Stone Cold" that he wanted to tell them about the man who read him bedtime stories, who helped him tie his tie for his first dance, who bought him his first motorcycle. He doubted that they'd think the man he was describing was a monster.

"No wonder you didn't talk to anyone in high school."

"What do you mean? I talked to people."

"Well from what I recall as a freshman in high school, the only people in our entire school that you talked to were Emily Quartermaine and Lucky Spencer."

"I guess they were only two people who didn't act like they were scared of me all the time. People treated me as if I was some sort of experiment like I was going to explode at any minute." Cooper explained. Rarely did he talk about his stint at Port Charles High School. He'd shown up, done enough, and graduated never looking back. "Maybe if you'd been an older you could have been my third person." Cooper suggested as he winked at her.

"I guess that means you aren't going to your ten year reunion."

"Yeah I'm going to go ahead and say no to that one. It'd take a lot to get me there."

"Well if you change your mind I'd gladly be your date." Maxie offered with a flirtatious grin.

"I'll have to keep that in mind."

She was about to make a joke about how strange it was that Emily, Lucky, and Cooper had been friends. Emily was the most respected surgeon in the region. Lucky was on the fast track to Police Chief. And then there was Cooper, who presently was working for his mobster brother in law. The joke would remain untold though because suddenly Logan Hayes was briskly making his way over to their table. She rolled her eyes. "Prepare to deal with an asshole."

Cooper looked over his shoulder and saw a gruff looking guy making his way towards them.

"Hey Maxie. Who's this?" Logan asked rather bluntly as he pulled a chair up to their table.

"Logan this is Cooper. Cooper this is Logan Hayes."

"Detective Logan Hayes." Logan corrected.

"Hi." Cooper hated guy like Hayes. They were far too impressed with themselves.

"Do you mind Logan? We're kind of in the middle of dinner."

"Oh so is this a date?" Logan asked rather expectantly.

"What business of that is yours?" Maxie hated that Mac never saw this side of Logan. The version of Logan who knew was a total kiss ass.

"Just wondering, so is it?"

"Yeah it is." Cooper wasn't sure what surprised him more. The fact that he'd said that or the fact that he'd said anything at all. In situations like this he usually pretended to be invisible.

"Oh."

"So make like a tree and leave Logan." Maxie motioned for him to move. "Or we'll have someone move you for us."

Logan stood up as if her impatience was unjustified. "Well I'll leave you two to converse then. Oh and Maxie call me and we can get together."

Maxie rolled her eyes and shooed him away. "I'm sorry about that. Thanks for saying this is a date."

"It's no big deal. It kind of is a date/setup/trap. So uh who is he?"

"That, my dear friend and bodyguard, is God's idea of a cruel joke. My father just happens to think he'd be the perfect Jesse replacement. You see Mac Scorpio was never a fan of Jesse. He thinks this way I can raise Mason in a "proper" home." Maxie snorted. "I'd rather raise Mason in a Jamaican slum than in a house with Logan."

Cooper wasn't sure what came over him but he let out a small sigh and smiled.

Sorry it took so long to update. I've been crazy busy. I go back to school this Sunday but hopefully I'll still be able to update weekly. Feedback is amazing. Thanks for reading. Be fabulous.


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